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The total mass of individual synthetic polymers present as microplastic (MP < 2 mm) pollutants in the sediments of interconnected aquatic environments was determined adopting the Polymer Identification and Specific Analysis (PISA) procedure. The investigated area includes a coastal lakebed (Massaciuccoli), a coastal seabed (Serchio River estuarine), and a sandy beach (Lecciona), all within a natural park area in Tuscany (Italy). Polyolefins, poly(styrene) (PS), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and the polyamides poly(caprolactame) (Nylon 6) and poly(hexamethylene adipamide) (Nylon 6,6) were fractionated and quantified through a sequence of selective solvent extractions followed by either analytical pyrolysis or reversed-phase HPLC analysis of the products of hydrolytic depolymerizations under acidic and alkaline conditions. The highest concentrations of polyolefins (highly degraded, up to 864 µg/kg of dry sediment) and PS (up to 1138 µg/kg) MPs were found in the beach dune sector, where larger plastic debris are not removed by the cyclic swash action and are thus prone to further aging and fragmentation. Surprisingly, low concentrations of less degraded polyolefins (around 30 µg/kg) were found throughout the transect zones of the beach. Positive correlation was found between polar polymers (PVC, PC) and phthalates, most likely absorbed from polluted environments. PET and nylons above their respective LOQ values were found in the lakebed and estuarine seabed hot spots. The pollution levels suggest a significant contribution from riverine and canalized surface waters collecting urban (treated) wastewaters and waters from Serchio River and the much larger Arno River aquifers, characterized by a high anthropogenic pressure. Graphical abstract

The current study uses a 2-level between-subjects design to explore how having aligned, or misaligned power may affect how a person responds when their attempts to influence are met with resistance. Initially, participants will be surveyed about their personal beliefs about power using ten Brinke and Keltner's survey - Hard and Soft Power in International relations, the workplace and at home (2020). They will then be randomly assigned to receive “feedback” on their response to the survey, denoting the condition they entered as either aligned or misaligned. Participants will receive the leadership role in all cases (high and low legitimacy). In half the cases, the leader will have legitimacy and, thus, a capacity for volitional influence. In the other half of the cases, the leader will have low legitimacy and, thus, a low capacity for volitional influence. They will take part in a scripted group interaction with four online chatbots. They will be required to achieve group unity by leading the group to agree on selecting a logo. They will be incentivised to achieve group unity by being offered a bonus of 50% to their prolific pay rate if they reach 100% group agreement and as long as they have a majority of members remaining at the end of the interaction (i.e. max 2 people can be kicked). During the group interaction, one member consistently disagrees with the leader's preference, three group members agree after persuasion, and one member always agrees. During the conversation, the leader can temporarily mute any other member or permanently kick them out of the group. These constitute punishment or exclusion responses. After the interaction ends, leaders will be asked to reward or punish each group member by increasing their automatic bonus by 25%, 50% (reward) or removing the bonus (punish).